North Korea threatens new nuclear test after increased sanctions

posted at 8:01 am on January 24, 2013 by Ed Morrissey

A month after an apparently successful test of their long-range rocket capability and the imposition of sanctions for it, North Korea has resumed its saber-rattling. Today the Kim regime threatened to conduct another test of its nuclear weapons, and explicitly announced that its offensive programs are designed to attack the US:

North Korea said on Thursday it would carry out further rocket launches and a nuclear test that would target the United States, dramatically stepping up its threats against a country it called its “enemy”.

The announcement by the country’s top military body came a day after the United Nations Security Council agreed a U.S.-backed resolution to censure and sanction the country for a rocket launch in December that breached U.N. rules.

“We are not disguising the fact that the various satellites and long-range rockets that we will fire and the high-level nuclear test we will carry out are targeted at the United States,” North Korea’s National Defense Commission said, according to state news agency KCNA.

Well, they’re not now, anyway. Their hostility to the US has been only barely disguised at best for decades, despite the attempt at rapprochement by then-Secretary of State Madeleine Albright in 2000. The Kims have used the US as their boogeyman for decades in order to justify their massively oppressive regime, the last true Stalinist tyranny left.

Even their allies in China seem embarrassed by their latest outburst. In a subtle but clear rebuke, Beijing specifically scolded the DPRK in its “everyone settle down” response:

China’s Foreign Ministry called for calm and restraint and a return to six-party talks, but effectively singled out North Korea, urging the “relevant party” not to take any steps that would raise tensions.

“We hope the relevant party can remain calm and act and speak in a cautious and prudent way and not take any steps which may further worsen the situation,” ministry spokesman Hong Lei told reporters at a regular press briefing.

Too late! There’s a reason why China wants Pyongyang to pipe down — their influence on the DPRK is one of the main reasons why the US engages China on Pacific Rim security. It’s not that we wouldn’t engage them economically otherwise, but China’s ability to wheel and deal in the region depends largely on whether they can keep Kim on a leash. And lately, China is looking weak:

North Korea has rejected proposals to restart the talks aimed at reining in its nuclear capacity. The United States, China, Russia, Japan and the two Koreas are the six parties involved.

“After all these years and numerous rounds of six-party talks we can see that China’s influence over North Korea is actually very limited. All China can do is try to persuade them not to carry out their threats,” said Cai Jian, an expert on Korea at Fudan University in Shanghai.

That doesn’t help, especially with an upcoming transition of power in Beijing in March. It seems clear, though, that Kim and his clique aren’t listening to Beijing. Either they really want to set a match to the powder keg, or they believe that the only way to get concessions is to make wild threats. Since they’re not irrational or non-rational, I’m guessing it’s still the latter — but at a certain point, those two paths are going to converge, and the US and its allies will be faced with some very ugly choices.

Update: A commenter suggests, tongue firmly in cheek, that the North Koreans may have been offended by the Red Dawn remake. Wasn’t everyone?

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Look at Ed trotting out the progressivist, imperial foreign policy, saying the other party is engaged saber-rattliing.

“North Korea threatens”

“… resumed its saber-rattling.”

“Kim regime threatened to conduct another test …”

“Their hostility to the U.S. … ”

It’s not as if the United States intervened in a war against them some decades back. And it’s not as if NK isn’t a sovereign nation that has every right to conduct nuclear tests.

Like Iran, this teeny tiny little country is no threat to the United States at all, but the progressivists need their little boogeymen to justify military interventionism and their imperial goals, all financed by the Fed’s monetary policy.

Like Iran, this teeny tiny little country is no threat to the United States at all, but the progressivists need their little boogeymen to justify military interventionism and their imperial goals, all financed by the Fed’s monetary policy.

And this is a supposedly conservative website.

Dante on January 24, 2013 at 8:19 AM

Dante:

Iran has there Weapon Program(s),inside Mountians,and alot
of SK,would be killed,so ya,…there tiny-teeny countries
who are no threat!!

Security Council Condemns Use of Ballistic Missile Technology in Launch

by Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, in Resolution 2087 (2013)

Says Act Violated United Nations Sanctions, Expresses Determination

To Take ‘Significant Action’ in Event Country Proceeds with Further Launch
********

The Security Council, condemning the launch by the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea on 12 December 2012, which used ballistic missile technology in violation of the sanctions imposed on it, today demanded that the country not proceed with any further such activities and expressed its “determination to take significant action” in the event it did so.

In that connection, the Council demanded, through the unanimous adoption of resolution 2087 (2013), immediate compliance by the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea with its obligations under resolutions 1718 (2006) and 1874 (2009), including that it abandon all nuclear weapons and nuclear programmes completely, verifiably and irreversibly.(More…)
===========================

You certainly are the test about whether or not liberals are less tolerant than conservatives. On the whole, I’d say that a worthless soldier-hating rube like you has been treated far better than you deserve.

There’s a reason why China wants Pyongyang to pipe down — their influence on the DPRK is one of the main reasons why the US engages China on Pacific Rim security.

I thought the US engaged China to fund Clinton/Gore’s 1996 campaign. But, come on, Ed, NK is a talking point/hammer for both the US and China in Asia. For China, which would rather see reunification on the Korean Peninsula, it is a barrier to keep 50,000 US troops (their main objection to reunification) off its border. For the US, it is a convenient bogeyman to keep 100,000 US troops in SK and Japan while trying to maintain the illusion that they are not there to contain China. Do you really lose sleep at night because of the threats from NK?

You’re the cowboy who wants to use force against those who haven’t used force against us. Do it yourself, Mr. Macho.

Dante on January 24, 2013 at 12:13 PM

We’re at war with North Korea. We have, currently, a cease-fire with them. No armistice, no peace treaty. The have, over the years violated that cease-fire repeatedly and nastily. Now, they are developing nuclear weapons and long-range rockets. In case you missed this, they just said it is aimed at us.

Actually…no. Korea was a UN police action led by US forces. No constitutional war was declared. MacArthur wanted to turn it into a winnable war but was fired for suggesting such a thing. For 60 years, the US has stationed a minimum of ~50,000 troops there as kind of a swat team backup for the South Koreans. But the real reason was/is to have forward troop presence during the Cold War and now, to contain China. Meanwhile, a growing consensus in South Korea is for reunification, a movement which is constantly stifled by the US.

Actually…no. Korea was a UN police action led by US forces. No constitutional war was declared. MacArthur wanted to turn it into a winnable war but was fired for suggesting such a thing. For 60 years, the US has stationed a minimum of ~50,000 troops there as kind of a swat team backup for the South Koreans. But the real reason was/is to have forward troop presence during the Cold War and now, to contain China. Meanwhile, a growing consensus in South Korea is for reunification, a movement which is constantly stifled by the US.

genso on January 24, 2013 at 1:49 PM

Oh, please. That’s Orwellian word games. It was war. You are correct that it was unconstitutional.

We’re at war with North Korea. We have, currently, a cease-fire with them. No armistice, no peace treaty. The have, over the years violated that cease-fire repeatedly and nastily. Now, they are developing nuclear weapons and long-range rockets. In case you missed this, they just said it is aimed at us.

You are an idiot and a eunuch. An intellectual and moral eunuch.

I don’t mean that in a polite way.

trigon on January 24, 2013 at 1:00 PM

Hey, genius. The fact stands: We went to war against a country that didn’t attack the U.S., and you advocate using force against a country and people that have not used force against you or the U.S.

You are far too sensitive. I take your side on war with nations that do not threaten the security of the US. Explain the Orwellian context of my comments, please. You don’t need to challenge everybody, do you?